Bib for protecting garments



March 21, 1950 J. SEID1ENBAUM 2,501,010

BIB FOR PROTECTING GARMENTS Filed Jan. 16; 1947' A? INVENTOR ATTO R N EY Patented Mar. 21, 1950 anti are For. rno'rnc'riue GARMENTS Jeannette Seidenbaurn,

ro oklyn, N. Y.

Application January 16, 19 Serial No. 722,367

4 Claims.

The present invention is directed to a bib or similar article to be worn. on the chest for protecting garments thereunder.

Bibs for this purpose have been well-known and have been used for years. Many of them have been fabricated of textile materials and consisted of a front or apron portion and a neck portion which was buttoned or otherwise fastened in place. Such devices were in a Way satisfactory for the purpose but they were relatively expensive and required laundering. Some bibs had strings or tapes stitched thereto, which were unsatisfactory in use and increased the cost of production. There was also proposed a similar structure of a bib in which the rear portion thereof at the back of the neck was held in place by means of a tongue operating in a slot. There were also other features necessary in order to hold the several elements in place, such as straps, which had to be buckled in place. This form of bib also suffered from disadvantages in that the tongue and slot arrangement was insufiicient to securely hold the bib in place as the tongue by reason of its shape and location tended to slip out of the slot. Furthermore, because of the specific construction of the bib, complete protection of the undergarments was not obtained as the apron portion covered only the central part of the chest.

The present invention is intended and adapted to overcome the difficulties and disadvantages inherent in prior structures of the type described, it being among the objects of the present invention to provide a bib which is smooth in construction and which is capable of being manufactured at an extremely low cost in large quantities.

It is also among the objects of the present invention to provide a bib structure which not only protects the chest but also the shoulders of the individual and which lies flat so that no other means for securing the same in position is necessary.

It is still further among the objects of the present invention to provide a bib structure wherein there is incorporated a tongue and slot arrangement of such construction that the tongue is securely held in the slot and there is no possibility of accidental displacement thereof.

In practicing the present invention there is provided a flat sheet of suitable material such as Woven or felted fabric, terry cloth, absorbent paper or any other suitable material. The fiat sheet is cut into a suitable pattern such as to provide a substantially rectangular apron and extended shoulder portions. One of the shoulders is formed with a pair of transverse slots adjacent the neck opening and the other shoulder portion is provided with a tongue of considerable extent and of a particular shape. When in the fiat position, the tongue extends from one shoulder past the other shoulder and to substantially the extremity of said opposite shoulder. The cut-out portion between the shoulders constitutes a neck opening and said tongue and slots are located on the shoulder blades of the wearer when in use.

In the accompanying drawing constituting a part hereof, and in which like reference charcters indicate like parts,

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a bib or protector in the position in which it is Worn;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevational View thereof show-' ing the tongue in position in the slot arrangement to hold the bib in operative position;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view thereof, and

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the sheet of fabric in the flat position.

The bib or apron I is substantially rectangular in shape, having parallel side edges and transverse lower edge. Shoulder portions t and 5, as shown particularly in Fig. 4, extend convexly and beyond side edges i2. Dotted line 6 represents approximately the line across the middle of the shoulders when the bib is worn.

The neck opening comprises a substantially horizontal portion l slightly below the dotted line 5 and side edges 8 and 9 roughly at right angles to edge 7. The rear or back portion H] of shoulder A is provided with a pair of parallel slits 5!, said slits being approximately parallel to edges 8 and 9. This provides a flap l2 which may be raised from back it to provide a passageway for the tongue.

The other shoulder 5 has a back or rear portion i3 and integral therewith is a relatively long tongue Hi extending rearwardly and then laterally with respect to the bib. Said tongue has a narrow or constricted intermediate area It and a widened area it lbeyond area 5. The tongue then tapers to substantially a point I l, which is approximately in alinement with the right hand side of shoulder 4. Inner edge E8 of tongue It encloses area it, which is the neck opening.

In order to put the bib into use, it is merely necessary to drape apron l on the chest, take the end it of tongue i l and pass the same through slots l I after first lifting the flap i2. Because of the wide portion 16, which has a greater width than the length of slots H, there will be a slight folding or crimping of the tongue, which creates friction and securely holds the tongue in place. The neck opening l9 may be varied within wide limits, thereby enabling a single size of bib to be used for various neck sizes of individuals wearing the same. When a small individual is fitted with the bib, tongue M is drawn through slots H to such an extent that constricted portion [5 is held under flap l2. Said constricted portion may be of such a width as to equal the length of slots H, or may be of narrower width. In either case the tongue 14 lies perfectly flat and the area between portions l5 and it abutting against the ends of slot ll will firmly hold the tongue in position.

Because the elements of the bib lie substantially flat and on the shoulder blades, because of the provision of shoulders 4 and 5, the front or chest portion tends to hug the chest and not to become displaced even during relatively large movements of the individual.

The bib is simple and cheap to produce and may be made of paper, in which case it can be stamped out of a single sheet or multiple stampings may be made. There is great economy in the use of the material as there is very little waste in the process and no sewing operations are necessary.

Although the invention has been described setting forth a single embodiment thereof, many changes inthe details of construction may be made within the principles herein set forth. For instance, other materials than those specifically included above may be used, such as sheet plastic,

tissue paper or various other types of materials. If desired, a binding or edging may be provided, either part-way or entirely around the periphery of the bib. Slits Il may be in the form of button holes and may be stitched around their edges. The form of apron I may be considerably changed and it may be provided with pockets if desired. Similarly tongue 14 may be of difierent shape but it is essential that it be of considerable length and be capable of lying flat on the shoulder blades after it is in adjusted position. While the bib has been shown as being made of a single piece of material, it is obvious that it may be fabricated of several pieces suitably held together by stitching, cementing or any other suitable means.

These and other changes in the details of the invention may be made within the spirit thereof. The invention is therefore to be broadly construed and not to be limited except by the character of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. A bib or the like comprising a fiat sheet of flexible material having a front apron, a pair of shoulder portions integral with said apron, a cutout between said shoulder portions and constituting a neck opening, the front of said neck opening being slightly below the middle of the shoulder line, an extension on one of said shoulders and integral therewith, said extension having a constricted intermediate portion and a wider outer portion, at least one opening transverse to said shoulder line on said other shoulder for retaining said extension thereon, the width of said transverse opening being less than the outer portion of said extension.

2. A bib or the like comprising a flat sheet of flexible material having a front apron, a pair of shoulder portions integral with said apron, a cut-out between said shoulder portions and constituting a neck opening, the front of said neck opening being slightly below the middle of the shoulder line, an extension on one of said shoulders and integral therewith, said extension projecting diagonally to the rear of the other shoulder, said extension having a constricted intermediate portion and a wider portion beyond said constriction, and at least one opening on the rear of said other shoulder for retaining said extension thereon, said wider portion being greater than the width of said shoulder opening.

3. A bib or the like comprising a flat sheet of flexible material having a front apron, a pair of shoulder portions integral with said apron, a cutout between said shoulder portions and constituting a neck opening, the front of said neck opening being slightly below the middle of the shoulder line, an extension on one of said shoulders and integral therewith and having a relatively wider intermediate portion merging into relatively narrower portions, said extension projecting diagonally to the rear of the other shoulder, the lateral edges of said shoulders extending beyond the lateral edges of said apron, and at least one opening on the rear of said other shoulder for retaining said extension thereon, said wider portion being greater than the width of said shoulder opening.

4. A bib or the like comprising a flat sheet of flexible material having a front apron, a pair of shoulder portions integral with said apron, a cutout between said shoulder portions and constituting a neck opening, the front of said neck opening being slightly below the middle of the shoulder line, an extension on one of said shoulders and integral therewith and having a relatively wider intermediate portion merging into relatively narrower portions, said extension projecting diagonally to the rear of the other shoulder, the lateral edges of said shoulders extending beyond the lateral edges of said apron, said apron being rectangular and said shoulders having convexly curved lateral edges, and at least one opening on the rear of said other shoulder for retaining said extension thereon, said wider portion being greater than the width of said shoulder opening.

JEANNETTE SEIDENBAUM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,246,035 Elliot Mar. 29, 1939 2,367,383 Tiscornia Jan. 30, 1943 D. 139,947 Saponoi'r" Aug. 17, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 11,199 Great Britain of 1906 306,595 Great Britain Feb. 25, 1929 798,761 France Mar. 11, 1936 

